


Catra and the Princesses of Power

by weirdoughnut



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:07:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27741976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weirdoughnut/pseuds/weirdoughnut
Summary: "Come with me," Adora pleaded. "You don't have to go back there—we can fix this!"Catra had been sent on a recon mission, assigned to the task of finding Force Captain Adora and returning her to the Fright Zone. As luck would have it, not only does she fail her assignment, she's also cornered into defying direct orders in front her entire squadron.Shadow Weaver was going tokillher.⸶ ✧ 🐾 ➳ ⸷A reimagining of SPOP; "What if Catra left with Adora?"Warned with "Major Character Death" and "Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings" because I believe we will still lose Angella in this fic, but as of now, I've only thought of this AU in bits and pieces. Tagged as Glitradora; however, that likely won't be the focus of this fic (but im super gay so who knows).
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra/Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 77





	Catra and the Princesses of Power

**Author's Note:**

> **Warning:** I currently have another project that takes priority as well as multiple obligations in and out of this fandom. Expect updates to be erratic and sparse. Sorry!
> 
> With that being said, if you choose to continue on, thank you and welcome!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy ch1, a rewrite of S1 E2-3.

#  _Claws_

Adora threw her hand out. "Look around! These aren't insurgents, they're _innocent people!"_

"Yeah, _sure._ 'Innocent people' who _kidnapped_ a Horde officer." Catra rolled her eyes, grabbing her hand and making her way back into the tank. "Now, come on, let's get you back to the Fright Zone! Shadow Weaver is _freaking out."_ She snickered, although her laughter quickly died out. "It'd be funny if she wasn't such a terrible person."

"Catra, _no."_

Suddenly, Catra's hand was left grasping the air. She froze, unsure.

"I _can't_ go back," Adora said. "Not until the Horde leaves this town alone. You _have_ to help me!"

Turning around, she was met with blue eyes forming a determined scowl. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying this is _wrong._ They've been _lying_ to us, _manipulating_ us—Hordak, Shadow Weaver, _all_ of them."

Catra blinked. And blinked again.

...This idiot.

 _"Duh!_ You _just_ figured that out?" She frowned. "Manipulation is Shadow Weaver's _whole_ thing! She's been messing with our heads since we were _kids."_

The horrified look on Adora's face was nearly insulting. "How could you possibly be okay with that?" she whispered.

Catra dropped her arms, shrugging. "Because. It doesn't _matter_ what they do." Her hands found Adora's shoulders, feeling how tense she'd gotten. Why was she so worked up about this? "The two of us _look out_ for each other and soon, _we'll_ be the ones calling the shots."

She didn't miss Adora's crestfallen expression. She needed to wrap this up before some other dumb idea crossed her gigantic forehead.

"Now-" she gestured to the tank, knowing Adora could _never_ resist the chance to drive it- "can we go home already?"

Adora was the only one who flinched when a blast struck the ground near them. "I'm not going home, Catra," she insisted. "I _can't._ Not after everything I've seen." She took Catra's hand in hers.

Her palm was clammy, but she gripped Catra's firmly; Adora was _scared,_ but she still mustered the will to do better. Typical. She never knew when to give up.

"Come _with_ me," Adora pleaded. "You don't have to go back there—we can _fix_ this!"

Catra wrenched her hand back with a glare. "Are you _kidding?_ You've known these people for, what, a-" she shook her head, dumbfounded- "a couple of _hours?_ And now you're gonna throw everything away for… _them?"_ She reared away, disgusted. "What happened to you?"

"I don't know." Adora huffed, turning around. "But I _have_ to do something. I'm _sorry,_ Catra."

Once they get back to the Horde, Adora would return to her senses. She _had_ to or else Shadow Weaver would-

Sh-she would…

 _Whatever._ The point was, Catra would never see outside of the Horde’s walls again. With a growl, she whipped out her baton and thrust it forward. Green energy crackled against white cloth, dancing along Adora’s body as she collapsed to the floor with a yell.

Oops.

Catra cringed. _"Oh,_ man, that was a _lot_ stronger than I thought." She tittered, then paused, leaning over Adora. "Are you okay?"

 _"Catra,"_ she growled irritably.

Without thinking, Catra struck out again. It was almost funny, the way Adora just buckled. "I'm sorry! It was a reflex."

"Why-" Adora gasped for air. She strained to look up at her. _"Why_ are you doing this?"

Catra stepped back. Hurt pulsed through her—even now, she didn't get it? She could see the terror happening to Thaymor after a few hours, but in their entire _life_ spent together…

She scowled. "Because you _left_ me and if I don't bring you back, Shadow Weaver's gonna have my _head._ So, enough with your weird little identity crisis and let's go _home_ already!" She paused, gritting her teeth, and raised the taser. "Or do I need to zap you again?"

Adora grunted as she propped herself up. Another blast was fired in the town, a new tower of smoke billowing up in the distance. "What… what happened to getting out of the Horde?"

She faltered. "What?"

Somehow, Adora managed a tiny grin. "So, you're…" She drew in a shaky breath, recovering more of her strength. "You're just gonna die of boredom, then?"

_"Adora!"_

They both looked up.

In the distance, two people steadily approached on a… live mount of some sort. The first rider was reaching for the quiver at his back and the second-

Was a _princess._

"Don't shoot!" Adora yelled. She scrambled to her feet, stumbling before Catra caught her arm. 

Judging by the smile that made her chest coil, that save was a mistake.

Adora waved her hands in the air. "Don't shoot, she's friendly!"

Catra scoffed. “Right.”

 _"'Friendly'?"_ Ugh, princesses may not have been the bad guys, but they could stand to have voices that weren't so assaulting to Catra's ears. "She had a _taser_ to your face!"

The ball of light in her fist didn't get any dimmer and the pair was getting _far_ too close for Catra's liking. She took a step back, defensive.

"Th-that was just a misunderstanding!" Adora whirled towards her, desperately offering her hand. _"Please,_ Catra, this is our chance to get away from the Horde. To make things _right."_

She stared down at that calloused, scarred palm, and up at the strangers who were pulling their mount to a stop.

She had no choice. She'd waited too long, lost her window to escape—she was outnumbered here.

“No," she said, grabbing Adora's hand. Catra moulded her lips into a smirk. "This was _your_ chance to get away from _me._ Idiot."

“There she is!” A Horde soldier came up from behind, aiming her taser at the newcomers. She disabled the green visor on her helmet, panting. “Catra, get her and let’s _go!”_

“Lon-?”

Before Adora could finish, the princess hopped off the mount and dove for her. They disappeared in a flash of sparkles.

Catra winced, shielding her eyes. She shrieked, _“Adora!”_

“Come on, we need to get out of here!” The now-lone rider galloped towards Catra and scooped her up, throwing her onto the space behind him.

“Let _go_ of-!” She jumped as a green burst clapped the ground where they once stood. Okay, this wasn’t the time to complain; she latched onto the archer, stealing a glance at the soldier behind her. Green eyes stared back, bewildered and outraged. She spoke furiously into her comms.

What did she get herself into?

⸶ ✧ 🐾 ➳ ⸷

No, seriously, _what did she get herself into!_

“C-c-can’t you call them off?” the man squeaked.

 _“No!”_ She threw a hand in the direction they came from. “One of the soldiers just saw me run off with you—if I had authority in the first place, I sure wouldn’t now, Arrow Boy!”

“You can’t call me ‘Arrow Boy’!” He used his last arrow to destroy a bot with deadly accuracy, then faced her with an empty quiver in his arms. “I’m all out of them…”

She groaned. The… _whatever_ that was, whinnied and bumped into her. She almost lashed out until she clocked the bot rolling limply down the slope of the crater, threatening to squash the three at the center. Growling, Catra leaped in front of it and tore through it with her claws.

She hissed, pulling her hand to her chest. Her fingers burned, but… she’d never felt so _exhilarated._ It wasn’t every day she got to rip an active bot to shreds.

“Woah!” He pumped a fist. “Nice going!”

Hmph, at least somebody could appreciate her skill. “I know.” Her victory didn’t last long. “Oh, no…”

What was once a scrappy continuous fight became a full-on peripheral advancement. _Damn it,_ she shouldn’t have done this! Stupid Adora—the Horde troops still outnumbered the sparkly princess and the archer. There was still time to double-cross him-

“It’s been an honour serving beside you two.” With all the calm in the world, he stepped in front of her, holding his useless bow to his chest.

_You’ve got to be kidding me._

But that made her job easier. As he faced away from her, she stepped towards him, ready to lunge at his back. The troops moved ever-nearer, the smoke ever-darker. She couldn’t afford to hesitate this time.

So, by all horrible logic, that’s exactly what she did.

That _thing_ took off at the appearance of a powerful, calming light. It was another princess—Catra could tell from its similarly irritating brightness. A great figure strode into the ruins of Thaymor, her hair and clothes brought to life by pure energy alone. It was gaudy, but Catra found herself mesmerized by the sight, as if… as if she was witnessing something far beyond even the years of Shadow Weaver—and that was a _lot_ of years.

The very earth itself shook as the warrior plunged her blade into the rocks. A wave of energy pulsed around them, disturbing the circuitry within the armada. Oh, how the tides were so quickly shifted against the Horde’s disorganized troops. If it weren't for the princess' incompetence, Lord Hordak could never get far with this pathetic army.

“Bow!”

Catra jumped away, immediately assuming the defense. It was just the sparkly princess, though, running towards the archer—Bow.

“Are you okay?” she asked, a hand on his arm. She looked worse for wear. Too bad that didn’t make her voice any less piercing.

Bow didn’t seem to process her question, only regarding the warrior with awe. “Is that… _Adora?”_

 _What?_ Catra blinked. There was… there was _no_ _way._ Adora had never been this tranquil and impenetrable in battle. Not to mention, the girl wasn’t normally a walking glowstick. So, what, being a princess was _contagious_ now? Catra huffed. Sparkles over there better not come any nearer.

An uncertain battlecry brought her out of her thoughts. A soldier charged up to the pair next to her, his baton clumsily pointed at them. Catra didn’t think twice before pouncing on him, slicing straight through his armour with an avid grin. His helmet was next—she ripped it off, wanting to take in the terrified look on his-

Kyle.

She shook herself out of it. He was their scapegoat! This didn’t matter! Feeling thirst rise in her gut, she unsheathed her claws again.

_“Retreat!”_

“A-ah! Wah!” Kyle was driven to action. Panicked, he shunted the baton into her side. Being Kyle, he used the wrong end, but it was enough to throw Catra off of him. He scrambled away, falling back with the rest of the troops.

She made a fist. The dull ache above her ribs was already subsiding. She could still-

Argh! It wasn’t worth running after him, not when it looked like she firmly defected. No, she’ll just have to wait this one out.

“W-we can’t go back now!” She turned to see Adora—the _normal_ Adora, not that princess freak—grabbing Bow’s shirt. “Where are we supposed to _go?”_

“Hey! Hey. It’s okay.” Sparkles knelt in front of her, a hand on either shoulder.

Catra scowled. Maybe it was a good idea to stick around. Adora was too trusting; she needed Catra to look out for her.

She came up behind the princess, crossing her arms, just as Bow surprised her with a smile. Ugh, great, either these guys were too trusting, too, or they were just as manipulative as the Horde forces. She acknowledged it using only a stern nod. Weirdo.

“You’re with us now.”

“Both of you.” As Sparkles stood, so did Bow. He nodded his head welcomingly, inviting Catra closer.

No, thanks.

“That’s right. Both of you.” The princess gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Oh? Ohoh, now, _this_ was something Catra could work with—the sparkly girl wasn’t entirely sunshine and rainbows after all. She felt herself returning the smile more devilishly than the princess might have expected, her lip curling just so to expose a fang.

With a waver, she looked at Adora again, offering her a hand. “So, come on, let’s go home.”

Sparkles beat Catra to the punch, slipping one of Adora’s arms around her shoulders. That was fine. Catra was probably better off walking without the burden.

“Hey,” Adora said to her. A smudge of ash on her face moved as she winced from the exhaustion. “Thanks.”

Catra rolled her eyes and said nothing, though her tail briefly wrapped around Adora’s wrist. She uncurled it, pulling it back to her personal space.

Bow squealed. Right next to her ear. Great. “Best friends squad!”

Ugh. Maybe this wasn’t that fine.

#  _Queen Angella_

“All you have to do is use the sword to transform into She-Ra before she gets here!”

A limited power supply, the “back way”, and an offensively bright palette—Catra didn’t think Bright Moon could get any worse. Then, the princess, Glimmer, had to flash in and propose her _absurd_ plan.

“Uh, in case you haven’t noticed, princess,” Catra said, gesturing to herself, “not all of us can turn into a gargantuan with flowing blonde hair.”

Glimmer threw her hands up. “Well, I mean, what else is supposed to happen? ‘Hey, mom, we found two Horde soldiers. Can we keep them?’”

Catra scrunched her face up. “Great, so I’m some stray cat to you, now?”

She groaned.

 _“Oookay.”_ Bow stepped between them, accurately sensing the tension. “If Adora’s turning into She-Ra, then we might need to, um…” He lowered his voice, but he was still _very_ audible. “Tidy _her_ up?”

Catra’s ear twitched. “What are you talking about?”

“Cat ears can hear me!” he screeched.

 _“No,_ you’re bad at whispering.” She crossed her arms. “And neither of you are touching me. I can groom myself, thank you.” She relaxed on the window nook, her tongue already out.

“Ugh, not in my _room!”_

“Wait, wait, wait!” Adora rubbed the back of her neck. “Look, I-I don’t know if I can just… _turn on_ She-ra. I’ve only done it when someone was in danger, and it felt a little out of control last time.”

“Really?” Just to spite Glimmer, Catra licked the fur on the back of her hand. “You seemed pretty collected to me.”

She blushed. “Oh, heh. Thank you. B-but, no, I’m still figuring out how all of this stuff works. I…”

“How hard can it be? Sword, magic words— _poof!”_ She disappeared in a cloud of glitter, reappearing on one of the floating steps in her room. “She-Ra!”

Catra suppressed a groan as the princess teleported again. Glimmer spit out some encouraging jargon before taking Bow with her to distract the queen.

This was her chance to get her and Adora out of here.

"Come on, let's go." She hopped onto the windowsill, fully expecting Adora to be right behind her. Instead, she glanced over her shoulder just in time to see Adora rip up a curtain with her sword. _"Adora._ Let's get out of here."

She groaned. "You're right. There's no space to practice here." She threw on a pink shawl, grinning brightly. "Alright! I think I saw Horsey in the field—I can try to transform there and you can get cleaned up outside of Glimmer's room!"

_What._

⸶ ✧ 🐾 ➳ ⸷

Catra was boredly relaxed in a tree, watching the utterly daft Force Captain aimlessly swing her sword around, when the mount—a "horse"—was… no longer a horse. It changed colours, vivid wings sprouting from its back. A horn protruded at the top of its voluminous mane that danced in the wind as it reared back on its hind legs.

"You turned the horse into a _princess?"_ Catra shrieked. "Don't point that _thing_ at me, I don't wanna be next!"

"No, no, Horsey, wait, come back!"

"Adora! Ugh." She jumped to the ground, climbing up another tree as she reached the forest line. Below her, Adora scrambled across bushes and thick roots, trying to navigate the vegetation with her loose shawl.

All this to chase the weird horse thing. Where'd it go, anyway?

Catra caught herself on a branch. In the clearing, she spotted the mount having its little freak-out at the very center of a _Rebel_ camp.

"Adora, stop!" she hissed.

Adora didn't hear her. She barrelled into the open, yelling after the transformed horse and haphazardly waving her sword. Panic penetrated through the camp as people began to-

Guards. Bright Moon guards were _crawling_ all over this place. And in the chaos, Adora lost her shawl.

Silence, one louder than the frenzy, settled upon them.

Then, someone drew their sword. "Horde soldier!"

 _"No!"_ Catra locked onto a guard who had a scar across her nose—the one with the blade. Huh, she looked important. Feeling bark fly off from the branch under her feet, she sprang out of the tree and into action. They'll have to decide which rogue soldier they wanted—the swordmaster or the one with their officer pinned beneath them. "Adora, get out of here!"

Catra was faster. She'd always been. She would find a way out easier than Adora.

"I'm not leaving you-" Adora yelped, barely getting out of the way before a horned lady charged into her.

"You're gonna have to!" She looked down at the Rebellion officer, wondering if Octavia minded twinning with someone on the opposition. She raised her claws, ready to rake them across the officer's face, when Adora screamed:

"Catra! Look out! _Argh!"_

Pain _slammed_ into her temple, reverberating through her skull. She felt her wrists be pulled together behind her and bound just before she…

Sh-she…

She came to at the entrance of Bright Moon Castle, slung over someone's shoulder.

"What the-!"

"She's awake!"

"Let go of me!" Catra wriggled and squirmed, but the guard only held her tighter. She unsheathed her claws, snarling.

No, there was something wrapped around her hands. Shouting now, she fought harder. If she could just get the cotton off-

“-understand. You’re _not listening!”_

Ouch. That was Glimmer.

"You’ve shown _remarkably_ poor judgement!” An elegant, _enraged_ voice resonated through the walls of the room she was brought into. "Bringing not one but _two Horde soldiers_ into Bright Moon without _telling me?”_

“Your majesty,” Bow began, passive but sheepish, “it’s not all her fault.”

“Bow, I think it is time you went home.” Her tone quieted so quickly that it nearly gave Catra whiplash. “Glimmer and I have a lot to discuss.”

The guards were preoccupied with waiting for who could only have been the queen to finish speaking. In preparation, Catra ground her teeth before biting into a kink in the officer’s armour. They cried out, dropping her, which momentarily knocked the air out of her lungs. Wheezing, Catra struggled too hard to stand. She looked down.

Damn it! Her legs were tied!

“What is the meaning of this?”

No, no, no, no! She couldn’t lift her tail, either! _“Argh!”_

No matter how violently she twisted or how angrily she hissed, a group of guards were able to wrangle her. They deposited her at the base of a golden staircase that floated just like the one in the princess’s room. In her frenzied resistance, her headgear had fallen off, clattering against the marble floor somewhere behind her. Her hair fell wildly in every direction, puffed up out of aggression.

“Catra!” Glimmer exclaimed.

The queen—every bit of royal and terrifying as the Horde proclaimed she was—fumed. “You know her? Is this-” She glared at Catra, making her shrink back. “Is _this_ one of the Horde spies?”

“Mom, I’m telling you-”

“Queen Angella, what she’s trying to say is-”

_“Enough!”_

It wasn’t just Catra’s fur that stood on end. The entire court quieted straightaway.

It was incredible. One moment, a furor commanded the room; the next, Catra could hear a pin drop—if anyone so disrespected the queen to be that careless in the first place.

She didn’t use magic, did she? Catra hadn’t felt anything. Was Shadow Weaver just too jarring with her powers?

“General.”

Catra was right—the woman with the scar had authority here. She stood at attention. “My queen. This is one of two Horde agents who infiltrated a Rebel camp. Unfortunately, the second was able to flee the scene alongside a winged beast.”

The queen rounded on her daughter, her fury reenergized. Then, after a deep, _deep_ breath, she quelled her fire.

Woah. This wasn't magic.

Glimmer took this as a sign to vouch for her. “Yes, I brought her with me. Her and her friend. They’re on _our side_ now, mom, _why_ don’t you-”

 _“Glimmer,”_ Bow said under his breath.

She clenched her fists, muffling a groan. “Okay.” She sighed. “She aided us in defeating the Horde officers sent to destroy Thaymor. She didn’t try to harm us at _all_ on our way back, even helping me stay on our horse when I was too drained to walk. She had every chance to leave, mom. Bow and I were hardly in the right shape to restrain her, even if we wanted to.”

Catra tried not to snicker at the memory of Sparkles threatening to rip her mouth off if she didn’t cut it out with the nicknames. She kept her head down, letting her hair hide her grin.

Silence prevailed again. Then, the queen spoke.

"Is this true, Horde soldier?"

Catra looked up, surprised that she was addressed. Suddenly, a-all eyes were on her. She gulped. "Y-you're letting me speak?" But she was the enemy!

The queen's grave expression remained unchanged. "Yes. You're a long way from the Fright Zone. Who sent you here? What is your mission?"

"I-I-I…" she stammered.

Glimmer stepped in. "Mom-"

"Glimmer, you've made your argument." The queen turned to Catra. "Now, I must hear hers."

This was the immortal Queen Angella of Bright Moon. She stared down at Catra, but that gaze wasn't… _respectful._ No, she had no respect to spare for a Horde soldier. It was something else—dignified. Shadow Weaver could never muster enough dignity that Catra couldn't see right through. The _queen’s_ was near-unfathomable; if there was ever a time for Catra to be disobedient, it sure as hell wasn't now.

"I…" She bowed her head. She was really going to do this. She was admitting to her delinquency. "I'm a Horde soldier. I-I was one of the soldiers dispatched for the attack on Thaymor."

Someone behind her gasped, murmurs rippling through the audience. Queen Angella raised her hand for silence.

Catra would never see home again.

"Um. I was-" She breathed deeply, trying to keep her statement calm. "The attack had been anticipated for weeks, but my squadron's specific target was the retrieval of one of our F-" she couldn't say that- "friends. Another soldier. She's the one who- uh. Who the princess and her archer captured—who convinced me to come here with them." She made herself meet the queen's eyes, feeling muscles in her tail nervously twitch. Strangely, no one forced Catra's gaze to the ground. "Another defect."

 _"'Another_ defect'?" Queen Angella considered her wording. "So, you testify to the claim of cutting ties with the Horde?"

Catra bristled. N-no way. There was no way this was happening. "I-I-" She ducked her head. "Yes, sir. Uh, ma'am- y-your majesty."

There was a long pause. She heard Glimmer and Bow shuffling their feet. Catra didn't dare look up, lest the queen sees the conflict in her eyes.

At last, Queen Angella asked, "What is your name?"

"C-Catra." She cleared her throat. "My name is Catra, your majesty."

"Catra."

She startled. There was no reluctance, no degradation. It was like… she asked just so that Catra wasn't left nameless kneeling before her.

"My officers report that you and your companion attacked a Rebel camp. Is this true?"

Her fur stood on end, but there were too many witnesses to spit another lie. "Yes, your majesty."

"And you have naught to add?"

Catra looked up. "Huh?"

The queen's expression softened into neutrality. Catra harboured very little doubts about how well she fit the crown. "If you truly have defected, Catra, why did you attack the camp?"

She felt her ears relax, lifting from their flattened position against her head. This was something she could attest to. "We were taming a panicked mount that broke into the camp. The clothing she used to hide the Horde symbol on her shirt was thrown off, so I tried to give her time to escape."

The queen's brows raised fractionally. "Oh?"

"Yes, ma'am- your majesty. I thought I could provide a distraction. Uh…" She slouched, glancing at the general beside her before quickly returning her stare to the ground. "I got a little carried away."

"Indeed." Queen Angella strolled forward. "There were no casualties?"

"No, my queen," replied the general, “and the guard assaulted here has been sent to the infirmary.”

"Good. And how was she in combat?"

"In-? The spy?”

She nodded.

“Er, swift, my queen. She was silent and sure—even soldiers away from the main conflict were unable to detect her." The general coughed awkwardly. "I am grateful to have had allies in close quarters."

Queen Angella hummed. "I see."

She must have indicated something wordlessly because the general said, "M-my queen, are you certain?"

"I am. Please."

To Catra's pure shock, her bindings were undone, the weight on her tail lifted. She smothered a smirk at how deftly the buffers around her claws were removed—no one dared to get too near for too long.

"Catra."

The smugness vanished. She stiffened. "Y-yes, your majesty?"

"Why have you come here?”

She was free, but she remained kneeling, anyway, pressing her palms against the stone floor. She took her time to respond, gritting her teeth.

Catra was cornered. She wasn’t so stupid as to think that she’d have the freedom to attempt an escape all because she _said_ she’d switch sides, but to tell them that she wished to return to the Horde? That would be more idiotic than coming here in the first place.

Glimmer caught her eye, making Catra’s breath hitch. In the few hours they’ve known one another, they clashed infamously—yet there was nothing but hope, and belief, and _encouragement_ in the princess’s expression right now.

…

…

Did Catra _really_ want to go back to the Horde? Bright Moon was so far away. Even when Adora was wandering around the Woods, all Shadow Weaver could do was scry on her. From the Fright Zone, that hag had no power here.

No. She didn’t want to go back. How could she when there were people who acknowledged her worth here? When the queen had such power even without her magic? The hard part of running away was over—she was here now. Why throw this opportunity away?

"I came here…" Her fingers curled into fists. She knew what she wanted and how to get it. “I came here to pledge myself to the Rebellion, your majesty. The way of the Horde—it’s _horrific._ You treat your enemies better than they treat their most dedicated loyalists, I-I almost can't believe it.

"I want no part of the Horde anymore. If anything, I want to _fight_ it.” She met the queen’s gaze unwaveringly. “I’m just another pair of claws, ones trained to work against you. But if you give me the chance, you won’t regret accepting my allegiance, your majesty. I’ll make sure of it.”

The queen stared her down. She glanced at Glimmer, but Catra refused to turn to see her reaction.

Queen Angella let out a breath, relaxing her shoulders. “It is not every day I meet a magicat.”

Catra forced down surprise. Magicat?

“I was almost convinced that they had been eradicated completely, but here you are. To see another of your kind after all these years is heartening, yet the symbol you don on your uniform yields nothing but dread.”

Catra self-consciously fiddled with her belt buckle. She wanted to rip that thing off _now,_ furious at what the Horde had done to her, but it would be too demeaning.

The queen continued, “Your species was a vibrant presence on Etheria, in and out of war. During the invasion, they fought with such dauntlessness for Etheria, I couldn’t help but think that their prowess and devotion were simply a part of who they were—hearing of your actions and intentions at the camp, I see no reason to reconsider that belief. You and your people, Catra, are _lionhearted.”_ She knit her brows, expressing uncertainty. “You would truly pledge yourself to the Rebellion and all that we stand for?”

Catra bowed to her, purposeful in how she lowered her gaze. If the queen knew something about these “magicats”, then maybe she had more to gain here than she initially thought. “And all you stand against, your majesty.”

She regarded her for a moment longer. Showing no indication of her thoughts, she addressed her daughter. “Glimmer, you would bear testimony to her, admit responsibility for her?”

The princess stepped forward. The ardency in her voice caught Catra off-guard. “Yes!”

Queen Angella nodded. A gesture of her hand called forth an officer who brought her Catra’s battered headgear. Delicately, she took it, then raised it towards Catra with pleased acclaim. "Then rise. The Rebellion accepts your allegiance, Catra, Magicat of Etheria."

Cheers erupted through the court as Catra rose to her new position. Soon after the queen fixed her headgear into place, two pairs of arms were thrown around her, squeezing her tightly. She grimaced, but now wasn’t the time to lash out—admittedly, she basked in the praise.

“Welcome to Bright Moon!” Glimmer squealed while Bow laughed, clearly relieved.

Catra scoffed, hiding her blush. “Don’t get soft on me, princess.”

“Oh, I won’t, scum.” Her words were bright, but something still tugged down at her lips.

Catra chewed on her cheek, going out on a limb. “Quit frowning, you’ve got another defect to inaugurate soon.”

Bow knit his brows. “So, she’s coming back?”

She snorted. “Duh. She’s probably already taking the back way to Sparkles’s room.”

“My name is-!”

“Or… maybe she’ll take the front door.” Catra pointed to the great entrance, though there was no need to—the brilliant light was more than enough to draw attention.

The awed congregation parted for the princess as she strode into the court, refined and alluring. She stopped before the throne, her radiance almost blinding. As they locked eyes, Catra’s childhood friend appeared under the princess in how relief shone in her expression.

“She-Ra,” gasped Queen Angella.

Bitterness nearly choked Catra. Here was Adora, yet again bumping her down to second place. She bit her tongue and smirked. “Hey, Adora.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


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